Facing The Past
by Ghostwriter
Summary: A discovery in a fire leads to a firefighter facing his past.
1. The Discovery

FACING THE PAST

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

Yes, I know I shouldn't be starting another story but, I got inspired. Got this idea from the three-way crossover and starts at the end scene of "Nobody Touches Anything" and deals with the background I created for Matt in "Debt or No Debt?". Will start out the same, but will go in a different direction. I may add in SVU later. Haven't decided yet. Belongs to Dick Wolf and NBC. I only own Matt's background.

Erin could feel the pit in her stomach growing as she sifted her way through the photos. How could anyone want to hurt a kid? And how could something like this be going on at this level? Didn't anyone care about them? Why would anyone let them fall through the cracks?

"This is grim," she said.

"Yeah," Hank agreed tightly as he put his jacket on. Maybe he shouldn't have agreed to let her look through all those photos. Despite her tough demeanor, the woman was one of the most sensitive people he knew and going through picture after picture of abused kids had to be taking its toll on her. Not that she would admit that. No, she'd just plug on through, pretending that it didn't bother her.

"So, uh, the federal kiddie porn databases, they search for the kid and for the background so that they can identify the work of different offenders, so I figured we'd do the same thing," she continued and the man nodded. That made sense. If they figured out what made each perp tick, they'd know how to track them and then take them down. Erin placed a photo down. She picked up the next one and-it was like she couldn't breathe.

"Oh, my god," she said. Was she seeing this right? Was this really who she thought it was?

"What?" the sergeant asked, his body going on high alert at her action as he went to stand beside her. "Oh, my god," he said.

"It's Matt," she stated.

"Yeah," he confirmed.

"Do you think he remembers this?"

"Most likely."

"Well, why wouldn't he say anything?"

"I barely got him to cop to Cordone pimping him out to keep him hooked. No way he would mention this." _Damn, what am I going to do? Matt's going to freak_, he thought to himself. Not that he could blame the kid. He had just basically wanted to do forget everything that had happened to him. And he had gotten enough bad breaks as it was.

"What are we going to do?"

"I'll give him a call. Tell him we gotta talk."

"He's not going to like hearing about this."

"Better he hear it from me than somewhere else." Erin nodded. She couldn't even imagine what Matt had gone through. Yeah, she had gotten hooked on heroin and she had been involved with Charlie, but from the little she had heard, Matt had been hooked on a lot of different things and been desperate enough to do whatever Cordone wanted him to. But to keep something like this bottled up…she couldn't even imagine something like that. _Don't worry, Matt. We'll catch these guys. We won't let them get away with this_, she thought to herself. They'd make sure that whoever had done this to him got put away. Maybe she could call the SVU squad in New York. Maybe someone could tell her where this photo had taken place. Hank went to his car, as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Casey," he heard a few moments later.

"Matty, meet me at the Long Branch. We need to talk," he told him.

"What's going on, Hank?" Matt questioned.

"In person, Matty," Hank told him and then hung up. He arrived at the bar and sat down at a booth. A moment later, a waitress came up to him.

"Get you anything, Hank?" she asked.

"No thanks, Ellen. I'm waiting for someone," he responded. Ellen nodded and then walked off. A few moments later, Matt walked in, spotted Hank, and then walked over to him.

"What's going on, Hank?" he asked, sitting across from him.

"This isn't easy for me, Matty. Your name came up in an investigation," the sergeant told him and the firefighter shot him a look.

"And you think-"

"As a vic, Matty. The guy your house saved, he had a box full of pictures. Erin was sorting through them when she came across a picture of you." When he heard this, the younger man let out a scoff.

"It was probably just an old pic that Cordone kept to get himself off and then gave it to a buddy. Probably not connected to anything"

"Matty, this guy is a part of a ring." Matt let out a sigh and averted his gaze. "Matty, look at me." Matt did as he was told. "Tell me straight: did Cordone ever pass you around?" Matt blew out a breath and ran his fingers through his hair. _Damn, how can he ask me that?_ he wondered. "Matty?" Matt let out another breath. Then he slumped his shoulders and leaned back in his seat.


	2. Pushing Memories

AUTHORS'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

Belongs to NBC and Dick Wolf. I only own Matt's past and characters you don't recognize.

"Matty?' Hank prodded. _Come on, Kiddo. Don't shut me out_, he thought to himself. From the way he was slumping his shoulders, it was apparent that he was right on the money. The firefighter had done the same thing during his teen years when he had first confronted him about what Cordone was doing to him. And from his actions, it would appear that the officer had once again hit the nail on its head.

"Cordone would do anything for a buck. You know that. I told you that," Matt responded, shrugging a bit. Couldn't Hank just leave it alone? He hadn't asked about this when he was a kid. Why bother with it now? Especially since it didn't matter anymore. It wasn't like he could do anything about it. Too much time had passed.

"So he passed you around. How old were you?" Hank questioned.

"It doesn't matter. Come on, Hank. You got out me out. It doesn't haunt me. I've moved on," Matt responded.

"Matty, we need to deal with this," Hank responded and the younger man shook his head.

"No…we don't. Just because my picture randomly showed up in some sick bastard's possession, it doesn't mean anything," he insisted. _Can't he just let it go? I don't want to deal with this_, he thought to himself.

"Matty, if Cordone was part of a ring-"

"Leave it alone, Hank!" The police sergeant's eyes flickered as the firefighter slammed a hand down on the table, his eyes flashing angrily. Yeah, something had happened all right: something that he didn't want to rehash. Normally, he'd respect the younger man's wishes, but right now, he couldn't. Not when some of the very people who had possibly hurt him were probably still in business.

"Did he ever make you travel? Anyone who might still be in business?" he pressed.

"No! For the most part, any business he did, he did it here!" came the response.

"Then there **were** some times he did business elsewhere," the older man surmised, picking up on the words. Matt let out a soft sigh. How could he have slipped up like that?

"If the guy was high-profile enough or he wanted to punish someone, yeah, he sent them to a different city and let whoever do whatever they wanted to them," he answered.

"That's what he did to you, didn't he?" the older man asked.

"No. Of course not," came the quick response. Couldn't Hank just leave this alone? He didn't want to deal with this crap. He just wanted to do his job and save people. That was all that mattered, saving people. Whatever he went through as a kid was pointless and meaningless. It had no bearing on who he was now.

"Matty, come on. You know you can tell me anything," Hank said softly.

"Leave it alone, Hank. I have **nothing** to do with this. So you found an old photo of me. Big deal. The only people who ever hurt me were Cordone and the people he made me screw. He was possessive of us. No way would he let us out of his sight," Matt hissed, his eyes narrowing.

"Matty-"

"No. I'm sorry about the kids who have been victimized and I hope like hell you catch these bastards but this has nothing to do with me." With that, he stood up and headed out.

"Damn it," Hank whispered. This hadn't gone very well at all. It wasn't like he could force the kid to talk. And he couldn't blame him for not wanting to talk. Matt got into his car and then drove back to his own home. He shut his car off and then slumped back in his seat as he ran his fingers through his hair. _What am I supposed to do? I can't let this get out. God, if Gabby or Christie ever knew…_his thought trailed off and he let out a ragged breath. Then he slammed a fist on his steering-wheel. Then he hit again. And again. And again. Then the fist turned into an open palm and he continued to hit the steering-wheel. As he did so, images flashed through his mind: Cordone finding him, getting hooked on drugs, agreeing to do whatever he wanted…Something wet touched his eyelids and he realized that he had started crying. He tried to blink back the tears but to no avail. He hit the wheel one last time and then slumped over it, his body racking with sobs.


	3. Lies And News

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Andorian Ice Princess-AIP: Yes, I tend to do this to my favorite charries. And yes, justice **will** prevail, but it'll be a long road.

AUTHORS'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

Belongs to NBC and Dick Wolf. I only own Matt's past and characters you don't recognize. Oh and Shay never died. Cause I just can't do it. Chapter contains Dawsey stuff, so if that's not your cup of tea, you may wanna skip down to the end.

Several minutes later, Matt sat back up and wiped away the tears. He couldn't let Gabby see him like this. She'd get worried and upset and would want to know what was going on. And he couldn't tell her. There was no way she'd understand. No one at the house knew about his past and he was going to keep it that way. He was a lieutenant and he had to act like it. Besides, it wasn't like he had anything to do with the investigation that Hank was conducting. Yeah, and maybe if he kept telling himself that, he'd end up believing it. But he couldn't worry about that right now. He had to pretend like everything was normal. Letting out a deep breath, he swiped his eyes one last time and gave himself a look in the rearview mirror. He looked a little red-rimmed, but he could always make something up. Yeah, that sounded good. Squaring his shoulders, he got out of the car and headed in.

"Matt?" Gabby questioned, coming out to the front door. "Baby, what's wrong?" she queried.

"Nothing, I'm fine," he lied.

"Are you sure?" she checked.

"Yeah." Unconvinced, Gabby was about to press when Matt kissed her, pulling her close and entangling his fingers in her hair, causing her to moan. Damn, she loved when he got passionate like this. They couldn't show it all that much in house because they were both trying to keep things professional. After all, she didn't want anyone to think that he was playing favorites just because they were engaged. Her dream of becoming a firefighter had finally come true. It had taken her a long time and she wasn't going to squander the opportunity she had gotten. Years earlier she had majored in medicine, which had also piqued her interest in the EMT field and she had worked hard to get her degree, though she had also put in the training to become a firefighter. When it hadn't worked out, she had determined to her best with the medical stuff and after several years of hard work had made it to the position of paramedic in charge. And even though she had been happy where she was, she hadn't ever forgotten about her dream about being a firefighter. Now that it had come true, the last thing she wanted to do was to screw it up by fraternizing with her boss. She had to admit though, it was a little weird to see Shay and Brett working together. For so long, it had been her with the blonde. And now it was another blonde. Like she said, weird. She then pushed the thought away and she focused on Matt and everything he was doing to her. Damn, he felt good. From the moans that emitted her from her throat, Matt could tell that Gabby was enjoying the attention she was getting. And yeah, maybe he was a bit more forceful with her than normal, but after the shock to his system he had gotten, he needed this. He was **choosing** this. Everything he was doing was something **he** wanted to. Without a word, he started trailing kisses down her body, going towards her neck, which was a sweet spot of hers. God, he was so lucky to have her.

"Matt…" Gabby moaned, throwing her head back. He lifted her up, lead her to the counter in the kitchen, and immediately let his hands roam, his kisses becoming more passionate.

"I love you," he told her. Gabby pushed his jacket away and lifted up his shirt, tossing it on the floor. Then, she looked at him.

"Babe. You sure you're okay?" she questioned in concern. There was a desperate quality in his actions tonight that wasn't there usually and his eyes-they looked haunted as if he was holding something back.

"I'm fine. Promise," he assured.

"You know you can talk to me about anything, right?" At this, the lieutenant smiled briefly, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. It was nice to know that she cared so much about him, but there was no way he could ever tell her the truth. She'd never understand. And what if she called off the engagement? He wouldn't be able to stand it if that happened.

"Yeah, of course. I promise you, I'm fine." Gabby nodded, even though she didn't look too convinced. However, she soon lost all thought as Matt pulled her close and started kissing her again. Meanwhile, Hank was in his office, looking through the photos, sorting through them. Hearing the door open, he looked up see Erin.

"How'd your talk go?" she questioned, walking into the office and closing the door behind her.

"It didn't. He stonewalled me. Denied it ever happened," he responded.

"And you don't buy it," she surmised, sitting in the chair across from him.

"No. He was in his "Something bad happened to me but I don't want to admit it" position," he answered.

"Slumped shoulders, leaning back," she commented.

"That's the one," he confirmed. Not that he could blame the kid for not wanting to talk. He had obviously been put through Hell, so why would he want to admit it? But if they were going to have any hope of determining of how far back this ring went, he needed Matt to open up. His reverie was broken by his phone ringing. Instantly, the man picked it up.

"Voight," he announced, angling the phone so that Erin could hear as well.

"Sergeant Voight, this is Sergeant Benson, from Manhattan SVU," a female voice told him.

"I'm assuming you got the files I sent you earlier?" he queried, earning him a look of confusion from Erin. _When he had he done that?_ she wondered. And why?

"I did. And I also looked into the travel dates of Vincent Cordone and some of his stable. You were right: he **did** have some regulars here at the times you specified. In fact, it seems like whoever's running his business now has been making the same type of runs," she told him. _Damn. I was hoping I'd be wrong_, he thought to himself.

"Hank?" Erin questioned and the man put his finger up in the classic "In a minute" gesture.

"Now, you said that you had a history with one of the boys in the photos? A Matt Casey?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah," Hank confirmed.

"Who is he?" Olivia questioned.

"He's a firefighter I know," Hank answered. "He had a crappy childhood and I looked out for him."

"I see."

"What'd you find?"

"That this ring has more than just pictures. These bastards also have videos of their victims." At this, Hank started and froze, unable to believe what he had just heard. "What?" he asked.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Yes, they're going to be going to New York. And as stated, I couldn't kill off Shay. This story will be dealing with Matt's relationships with Gabby, Christie, and his friends and how what Cordone did to him affects them all. I know the scene between Matt and Gabby is unrealistic but there's a reason for that.


	4. Investigation

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Andorian Ice Princess-AIP: Hopefully I can make this chapter makes the wait worth your while. Thanks, there's going to be a **lot** of crossover in this fic.

TheIrishShipperholic: Here's more. Enjoy.

AUTHORS'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

Belongs to NBC and Dick Wolf. I only own Matt's past and characters you don't recognize. I have certain things that I want to have happen in the fic, I'm just trying to figure out who to make it all flow well in the fic since it'll start going from Chicago to New York and back.

Hank couldn't believe what he was hearing. These guys had made videos too? Damn it all to Hell, couldn't these kids catch a break? More importantly, couldn't **Matty** catch a break?

"Videos?" Erin asked, her voice soft. How could someone be so sick? How could videos and pictures like the ones Kelly had found and given to them be a turn on for people? She just didn't get it. Charlie had never done that. Oh sure they had had a relationship and yes, she understand that what he had done to her was constituted as assault, but this was-this was a whole different ballgame.

"Yeah. I have my detectives on it but from what we've found so far, it seems that your guy in Chicago as well as his appointed lackeys would often travel here to drop of kids to clients who would then either turn them onto the streets here or send them back with the promise of repeat business," Olivia reported.

"Oh, my god," Hank said. _Damn, Matty, what'd this guy do to you?_ he wondered. Just how bad had it gotten for him? "I'm coming down there," he declared.

"Me too," Erin agreed.

"Sergeant, that's not really necessary-" Olivia started to say.

"This involves a kid who's been through more Hell than anyone could ever imagine. I'm not going to sit here on my ass wondering if there's something more that I could be doing," Hank interrupted.

"I understand," Olivia said. And in a way she **did**. Her ordeal with William Lewis had shaken her, but her team and Murphy had rallied around her. From the sound of it, Hank Voight was willing to go the extra mile for the firefighter who had been caught up in this. How could she possibly deny someone that? Besides, she got the feeling that the other sergeant would show up regardless of whether or not she agreed with him. So really, agreeing to let him come here was just being proactive and would allow her to keep an eye on him while he was in her city. So really, she was just thinking ahead here. She was about to say more when she heard a dial tone and she realized that the man had hung up. _Great. Wonderful_, she thought to herself. Hopefully this guy didn't go overboard. She didn't have time for that kind of crap. They had a porn ring to shut down. Her reverie was then broken by a knock on her office door.

"Come in," she invited and the door opened to reveal the newest member of the squad, Dominick "Sonny" Carisi, Jr.

"Sarge, Deputy Director Dodd's here," he reported. The woman blew out a breath. _Oh, how did Cragen deal with these asses on a daily basis?_ she wondered. She had never realized just how tiring it was trying to explain things to them. How had Cragen managed without tearing someone's head off? She could definitely understand why he had finally retired. He had probably been sick of dealing with all this crap. And the crap she and Elliot had put him through. Okay, enough reminiscing. She had to give the deputy director what they had on the case so far, which unfortunately, wasn't much. She let out a deep sigh and walked out to meet the man.

"Deputy Director," she greeted.

"Sergeant, what've we got?" the man queried.

"Well, right now, unfortunately, not much. We first got involved when a man found the body of one of the local working boys. He had been beaten, assaulted, killed, and then displayed on the streets he was working as a warning. Given his occupation and the fact that there had been some threats against the kids working on the street, we first thought that it had something to do with that. We then got some evidence that it was bigger than just a feud on the streets," she reported.

"What kind of evidence?" he asked, pouncing on the information.

"Deputy Director, I say this with no offense meant, but we'd like to keep that under wraps while the investigation is on-going. The last thing we need is the press making a spectacle out of this case," she responded. She knew that it had taken a lot of courage for the girl to come forward to Sister Peg with the pictures and she didn't need anyone getting wind of what they had and trying the pictures for their own agendas or trying to spin it to make it the kids fault.

"Fair enough," he agreed. He could certainly understand wanting to keep things as cool as possible. And to be honest, they had more to work with than he had expected them to have. He had heard about the Special Victims Unit and how many problems they had had recently with their detectives, especially regarding the William Lewis debacle and had been **certain** that it was a problem house. However, it would appear that his thoughts had been unfounded. Oh sure they had their troubles and he **still** had his doubts about the Sergeant's actions regarding Lewis, but everything since then had been done by the book.

"Is that all?" Olivia questioned.

"Keep it up," Deputy Director Dodd responded and then walked off. _That went better than I thought_, the sergeant thought to herself. To be honest, she had been expecting the man to rail at her the way he had been doing in the past. And honestly, she wasn't sure what she would've done if she had had to deal with that again. She had a job to do and she didn't want to be wasting time arguing with the man about how she did it. And if he thought that she was going to let him browbeat her detectives into working the way he wanted them to and end up being inefficient, well…he **certainly** had another think coming. However, she also knew that she had to be careful not to let them get out of control either. It was a fine line, one that she knew Cragen had had to walk as well. But he wasn't the one who had to deal with this kind of thing anymore, she was. Suddenly, she was **extremely** glad that Sergeant Voight and Detective Lindsay were coming to lend a hand. Well, they wouldn't be here for hours so she needed to see what they could find out in the meantime. With that, she turned her attention to her detectives.

"We need to find out who the major players are. Do we have **anything** that we can follow up on? Do any of the kids who grew up and got out remember anything from when they were younger?" she asked.

"Unfortunately, no," Amanda Rollins asked. "I mean, we've asked around but-"

"People are scared. Whoever the boss is, they must be pretty bad," Nick Amaro finished.

"All the more reason to find him sooner rather than later," Olivia reminded them.

"We will," Odafin Tutuloa promised. Olivia watched as Nick, Amanda, and Sonny went back to their desks and went to work.

"We need to find these guys. We can't let them continue destroying the lives of innocent kids," she said.

"We will," the veteran detective repeated. Then, "Liv, you're doing all you can. I know it feels like we're beating our heads against the wall and you're feeling the pressure from Dodd and the IPP, but there's no one more dedicated to helping victims than you. You'll find these guys." She smiled at him.

"Thanks. I needed that."

"You can always talk to me."

"Thank you." Meanwhile, Erin, Hank, and another one of their detectives, Jay Halstead, were all on a flight to New York. Jay glanced at Hank who was in the seat across from them, the case files spread out in front of him, though the pictures had been hidden.

"So, how exactly did Matt get caught up in all of this?" he questioned, looking at his own files.

"When he and his sister Christie were younger, their mother went to prison for shooting their father. They were taken in by their aunt and uncle, but he and Matt didn't get along and Matt ran away," Erin replied, making a note on one of the files. _Maybe if his uncle hadn't insisted that he always be the strong one and hadn't made him feel like crap for missing his mother, none of this would've happened_, she thought to herself. Yeah, she was still bitter about that. She and the firefighter had crossed paths with Hank right around the same time and he had confided in her about the pressure the man was putting him under. She hadn't been able to do anything but be a friend for him. Well, you know, when she wasn't detoxing from the heroin. But still…she was protective of the firefighter.

"I busted Matt for solicitation, saw that he was high. Offered to help him out, but it didn't take right away. It took him a while before he trusted me enough to tell me what was going on," Hank piped up. And he was going to do his damndest to make sure that his past stayed there.

"And now that this has cropped up again and it's actually worse than he apparently let on-" Jay began.

"He's most likely trying to suppress it," Erin finished grimly. _Oh, Matt_, she thought to herself. Why didn't he remember that he could trust them? Or was he just too ashamed? He didn't need to be. He was a victim. But she understood why he would be feeling like there **was** something to be ashamed of. After all, there were times that she still felt ashamed about the relationship she had had with Charlie. Well, no matter, what, they **were** going to get justice for Matt and these other kids…

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I know it's been a while, but I'm still here. I have a certain way I want the fic to go, I'm just trying to piece it all together in a way that flows well. And yes, I know "damndest" isn't a word.


	5. Pressing Forward

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Andorian Ice Princess-AIP: Oh, good. It's not just me. Oh, they will eventually but there's gonna be plenty of whump ahead. Maybe there'll be a reveal and maybe not. Read on and see.

Ultimatefailure17: Here you go.

AUTHORS'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Law and Order Special Victims Unit belongs to Dick Wolf and NBC. I only own the plot.

Hours later, the plane landed in New York, and immediately, the three officers went to the precinct where they went to the information desk.

"Can I help you?" the desk sergeant asked.

"Sergeant Voight and Detectives Lindsay and Halstead to see Sergeant Benson," Hank answered.

"Sergeant Voight," they heard a woman greet them and the trio turned to see a woman with long dark hair, wearing a white t-shirt and gray slacks. They nodded in acknowledgment as she stuck her hand out.

"Sergeant Benson, Hank Voight. We spoke on the phone," he commented, taking her hand and shaking it.

"We're all set up in one of the rooms," the New York Sergeant said and she led them to a room, where they all sat down.

"You said you and your officers had found some videos?" Hank questioned, his gaze going to the tv and player that was in the room. _I see he likes to get straight to the point_, Olivia thought. She liked that in an officer.

"Yes," the female sergeant confirmed and she pressed play on the DVD. The officers were silent as they watched the screen.

"Oh, my god," Erin said at one point and Jay just put a hand on her shoulder for a brief moment, ignoring Hank who acknowledged the interaction with a raised brow. "How could they have gotten away with this for so long? How come no one else caught this?" she wondered.

"That's a good question," Hank commented. Did this ring have people in high places or something? Or were they just incredibly lucky? Neither option was all that appealing and either way, he was going to take these guys down and make them pay for all of the lives that they had shot to Hell…including Matty's. Yeah, he was going to make sure that the kid didn't have any more crap to deal with. It was the least he could do for the kid. He didn't need to know how deep this shit went. Hell, **he** didn't even know how far it went. And **that**'**s** what he needed to find out. And he **would**. That was a promise. Olivia looked at the visiting officers and then back at the video. This wasn't the first time she had seen it but the reaction was the same: she felt sick to her stomach. And from their reactions, it was clear that the other officers felt the same way. And she really couldn't blame them. It **was** sickening. It was times like this that she thought that Elliot and John had had the right idea in retiring. Because honestly, seeing crap like this day in and day out could be tiring. Why deal with it any longer? Why not quit and **finally** get some peace of mind? Then again, if she quit, where would the squad be? Despite the longevity of the unit, it was still strictly volunteer and if there was no one left to run it, it would probably be disbanded, and **then** where would all the victims they helped be? Well, she wasn't going to let that happen. People needed her. This **squad** needed her. Oh sure, someone like Lieutenant Murphy could run the unit, but would they have the same respect for the work that she did? It was a fine line, she knew that. But it was one that she was willing to walk and she would do her best to run it just as well as Cragen had. She wasn't arrogant enough to think that she could do better than her captain, but if she could do her job as half as well as he had, she'd be satisfied. While all of this was going on, back in Chicago, Matt was in his office, going over some paperwork. Rather, he was **trying** to go over some paperwork. However, his mind was churning with the information Hank had given him. _Man, what am I going to do?_ He wondered. Maybe he shouldn't have brushed Hank off when the man had told him about the case. But he didn't want to think about it. The crap with Cordone was all in the past and there was no reason to rehash it. A knock at the door interrupted his reverie and he looked up.

"Come in," he called and was surprised to see his sister Christie. "What are you doing here?" he wondered.

"We were supposed to have dinner together," she reminded.

"Oh crap. I forgot," he said.

"Hey. Language, little brother," she scolded and he just shot her a look. They weren't kids anymore. She couldn't tell him how to talk. Then, her expression softened. "What's wrong, Matty? It's not like you to forget a dinner. And you don't usually hide away in your office," she commented.

"Nothing's wrong. I just-I had a lot of paperwork to do and I lost track of time," he answered, hoping that she'd buy what he was saying. Not that he expected her to. He had never been able to lie to her very well.

"Matt, I asked one of the other firefighters what had happened. They said that you went to the Long Branch to meet Sergeant Voight. Are you hiding away because of something he said?" she queried. And there it was. She wanted to know what was going on. But how could he tell her? She'd never understand. She had been Uncle Martin's favorite.

"No, it's nothing, Christie," he assured her.

"Matt, you know you can tell me anything, right?" the woman asked, leaning forward and placing a hand on his.

"Christie, I-" he started to say and then stopped as the memory came back. _Matt moved up on the bed, trying to get away but Cordone grabbed his wrists, pinning him down. _

"_Don't you __**dare**__ fight me, boy," he growled._

"_Vince, please," he said, his voice hoarse._

"Matt?" The firefighter gave himself a mental shake when he heard his sister's voice. "You okay? You totally spaced out." _What's wrong with him? What isn't he telling me?_ she wondered.

"I'm fine," he answered, finally pulling away from her touch. _I can't tell her. She'll never understand_, he thought. And she wouldn't.

"Does this have anything to do with the reason you and Sergeant Voight seem to be so close?" she asked. To be honest, she never understood why her younger brother seemed to idolize the man. He was brutal as hell and almost **everyone** was frightened of him. But not Matty. No, he always seemed to make excuses for the man.

"It's nothing you need to worry about," he insisted.

"Of **course** I'm going to worry about you! You're my baby brother! And I'm not going to just sit around while some hotshot sergeant bullies you into-"

"He saved my life!" he interrupted. The woman's jaw dropped. Really? He was going to go back to that?

"Matty, I know you've said that on occasion when we were growing up, but-"

"That's because it's true. Hank Voight saved my life. I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for him."

"Matty, please, just tell me what's going on." Matt jumped out of his seat and started for his office door, but Christie quickly intercepted him. "You need to talk to me."

"Christie, just back off, damn it! I don't have to tell you anything!" The woman's head recoiled as she stared into his blazing eyes. _What's wrong with him? I've never seen him like this_, she thought to herself.

"Is this about the guy that was arrested? The one that your house saved?" Normally, she wouldn't press things when her brother was so wound up, but there was something wrong and she had a feeling that it was something that needed to be discussed.

"I said, 'Back off'!" Once more, Matt walked past her, and this time, Christie just stayed where she was, trying to figure out what had just happened. She and Matt had never fought like this before. Oh sure they had their disagreements like any siblings, but he had never treated her this way. To be honest, it scared her. After leaving his office, Matt headed for the locker room, ignoring the comments and surprised questions from the rest of his squad. Once he was in the locker room, he started pacing, trying to drive away the memories that were cropping up. _Matt rummaged around the cabinet. __Come on. They gotta be here__, he thought to himself. He was crashing and he needed a hit._

_ "Looking for something?" The boy turned to see Vincent Cordone. "Looking for something?" the man asked again. _

_ "Come on, Vince. I-" the boy's voice trailed off as the man stepped closer._

_ "Matty, you know why I cut you off. Just say the word and everything can go back to normal," he said, placing a hand on his_ _shoulder. Matt blew out a breath as his shoulders slumped._ _He didn't want to deal with this crap anymore, but he was hurting. He didn't want to hurt anymore. Vince could make it stop._

_ "Okay," he_ _agreed._

_ "Atta boy, Vince approved and then pinned him against the wall, and then started trailing kisses down his neck._

"Matt? You okay?" Matt gasped at the sudden voice, turning to see Kelly.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine," he assured.

"You sure?" the other lieutenant queried.

"I'm fine," he snapped and started to head out.

"Matt, hold on." As soon as he felt the hand on his arm, Matt reacted instinctively, rearing back with an elbow and striking, causing Kelly to fall to the floor, his eyes widening in surprise. _What the hell? what'd he do __**that**__ for?_ the man wondered. It wasn't like he was going to hurt him. He had only been trying to help.

"Damn. I'm-I'm sorry," the truck lieutenant stammered and then ran out.


	6. Loose Ends And Leads

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Andorian Ice Princess-AIP: Yup, I really put him through the wringer, and of course Kelly will get more protective. And so will Christie. Well, I don't know how soon it'll be honestly.

Megth: Thanks. Here's hoping you like this chapter as well.

AUTHORS'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Law and Order Special Victims Unit belongs to Dick Wolf and NBC. I only own the plot.

Without a word, Kelly climbed to his feet, his mind racing as he watched Matt hurry out of the fire station to the driveway. _What was that all about?_ he wondered. He had never seen the other man so upset. Obviously something had happened. Something that he didn't want to talk about. But he couldn't just let it go. If Matt continued to let whatever was bothering him eat him up inside, it would ultimately destroy him. And he wasn't going to let that happen to his friend. Whatever was going on, he'd be there for him, even if he didn't want him to. Matt wouldn't give up on him and he wasn't going to give up on Matt. He just had to figure out why he had hit him. He knew he had gone to talk to Hank Voight about something, though he wasn't sure what. Did whatever they had discussed have anything to do with why he was so jumpy? Before he could ponder this anymore, the alarm blared and their trucks and ambulance 61 was called out. With a heavy sigh, he headed for his truck and headed out even as Matt did the same. _Man, I hope Severide doesn't hate me. I really didn't mean to hit him_, Matt thought to himself. He had just reacted. Even though the two of them could fight like cats and dogs, he really **did** value his friendship with the other lieutenant. And he didn't want this nearly destroying their friendship like Darden's death had. While Cruz was driving to the scene, Matt looked at Kelly.

"You okay, man?" Kelly asked, noticing the stare.

"Yeah, I'm just-sorry about-" Matt's voice trailed off as he gestured to the man's face.

"What, this? I ran into a wall," the truck lieutenant stated with a grin, winking at his friend, causing the squad leader to heave a sigh of relief. Kelly wasn't pissed at him. He had been afraid that he had ruined everything. Just because he was going through crap, didn't mean that he wanted to completely destroy his relationship and friends. He just wanted to make sure that his past stayed in the past. Because if it ever got out-Boden would toss him out of the station on his ass so fast that he'd barely have time for his head to spin. _I can't let that happen. I have to make sure that it stays buried_, he thought to himself. Only Voight knew about what Cordone had done to him, but he hadn't told him the complete truth. He hadn't been sure **what** he would've thought. And now one of Cordone's pictures had made it into a porn ring? What the hell? Why was this happening to him? He had gotten out of that life. Everything was supposed to be better now. But it was all crashing down. He couldn't just let it crash down like this. What was he supposed to do? He then gave himself a mental shake. He couldn't think about that right now. He had a job to do and he was going to make sure that he did it to the best of his abilities. With that, he squared his shoulders and headed out to the site. When he got there, his eyes widened. A kid had gotten his foot stuck in a storm drain. _Ouch_, he thought to himself. He didn't want to even **think** about this had happened. without a word, he went straight to work as Kelly chatted up the kid, trying to keep his mind off of what was happening. And if anyone could keep anyone distracted while they were working, it was Severide. He always seemed to know exactly what to say to keep people engaged. And that was good. It was always better for the people that they were working on to be thinking about something else and not on how much pain they were in. And today, the chatter was also keeping **him** focused as well. And that's what he needed. He needed his mind on the job and Severide was helping him with that. _Okay, just keep your mind on task_, he thought to himself. When the boy was finally freed, he was loaded up into the ambulance and Matt ran his fingers through his hair. Okay, this was good. The kid looked good. Shay and Brett were taking good care of him. Everything would be fine. Well, everything that pertained to the call. The rest of his life, well-that was one big ass mess. But he couldn't worry about that right now. He was on duty. He just had to remember that. As he walked back to the truck, he glanced at the crowd that had gathered and shook his head. He would never understand how something like this could fascinate people. What was it about accidents and injuries that made people want to see what was going on? As he perused the crowd, his gaze locked onto a tall and lanky Caucasian man in a police Captain's uniform who appeared to be in his mid-fifties with brown hair that was graying. _What's he doing here?_ his mind screamed as he stiffened. There was no reason for him to be here.

"Lieutenant, you okay?" At the sound of his girlfriend's concerned voice, the truck lieutenant turned to her and gave a quick smile, though it didn't reach his eyes.

"I'm fine. Let's get going," he answered and Gabby looked at him with a frown on her face. He wasn't usually so abrupt with her. Professional, yes, but hardly ever rude. Something was up. But what? As she followed him back to the truck, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a man watching them. _Who's that?_ she wondered, noticing the uniform. It was higher up, and from what she could tell, a police captain. But that didn't make sense. Why would a police captain be here at a simple accident? There was no statement that needed to be taken. Was there something going on the block that required police presence? No, surely Antonio would've told her. Then again, maybe he hadn't been able to. But she didn't see her brother or any other members of Intelligence, so it couldn't be anything big-if it was anything at all. _Weird_, she thought to herself as she got in the truck. As Cruz drove away, she pushed the thought out of her mind. Meanwhile, in New York, a Caucasian man in his early sixties, who was short and stocky with gray hair and brown eyes, was on the phone.

"Yes Sir, I've heard about what's going on," he said and then fell silent as the person on the other end began talking again. "Of course, Sir. You can tell Mr. Cordone that it'll be taken care of and that he doesn't need to worry about a thing," he assured. The person on the other end didn't answer but merely hung up and the man ran his fingers through his hair. _Well, this is some deep crap_, he thought to himself. The officers investigating Mr. Cordone's friends was causing trouble that none of them needed, least of all Mr. Cordone. And now it was his job to make sure that the officers on the case didn't find anything that would tie the man to what was going on. And part of that was finding the teen that had been causing problems lately. That problem had been assigned to someone else originally, but now it had fallen into **his** lap and he would have to clean up a mess that wasn't even his. Wonderful. With a sigh, the man got up and walked out, a picture in hand. If this loose end wasn't tied up soon, Cordone would have his ass. And that wasn't something that he wanted to have happen. Therefore, he was only too eager to do the job that had been assigned to him. While this was going on, at the precinct of the Special Victims Unit, the squad officers plus Hank, Jay, and Erin were going over the leads and tips that had come in when one of the desk phones rang. Immediately, Fin went over to the phone and picked it up.

"This is Detective Tutuloa. How can I help you?" he queried and then made some attentive noises as he wrote something down before hanging up.

"What've you got?" Olivia queried.

"Kid wants to meet us in Central Park. Says he has some information for us," Fin responded.

"Take Rollins with you," Olivia ordered and Finn nodded as Rollins went to join the man who headed out.

"Lindsay, go with 'em," Hank stated and Erin quickly ran to catch up with them, joining the two in the patrol car.

"Did this kid say what he knew?" Erin asked as they drove to the park.

"No and I didn't think to at least **try** to run a trace on the call," Finn answered, a hint of reproach in his voice. How could he have forgotten something like that? He didn't usually make mistakes like that. Almost as if she knew what he was thinking, Rollins put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Several minutes later, they reached Central Park, where Finn stopped the car and they all got out.

"I don't see anyone," Erin commented.

"Neither do I," Rollins agreed. Finn didn't say anything, but kept looking.

"Damn," he stated after a while. The two women followed his gaze to see a sixteen-year old boy wearing a gray sweatshirt, blue jeans, and black tennis shoes, lying on the ground. Seeing the gash in his throat, they inhaled sharply.

"We're too late," Erin said softly.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I know I didn't go into detail about the call 51 was on, but I don't have knowledge how firefighters work and I didn't want to describe the call and have it be way off base so I decided to delve into Matt's thoughts while he was on scene.


	7. One Of Their Own

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Andorian Ice Princess-AIP: Yes, very tough all around. Thanks, glad you enjoyed. Sorry for the long wait.

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Law and Order SVU belongs to Dick Wolf and NBC. I only own some of the plot and characters you don't recognize. Sorry this took so long. Hopefully, the update's worth the wait.

"Damn it!" Amanda shouted. How could this have happened? It just didn't make sense. They had just gotten the call. There was no way their perp could've known about this meeting so fast.

"I don't like this," Fin muttered to himself as he took a picture of the boy with his phone and sending it to the crime lab before calling for a coroner. No one outside the squad and Chicago officers who had come to help them had known about this call. And that meant they probably had a rat. However, something told him that it wasn't in either of their departments, which meant there was one or more unknowns and he didn't like this.

"Where do we start looking?" Erin asked quietly.

"I don't know," Fin admitted. _Damn. I was hoping I was the only one who thought we had a rat, _he thought to himself. But on the other hand, he wasn't really surprised that the young woman would draw the same conclusions. From the way she carried herself, she had obviously been around the block a time or two. Didn't mean that he had to like that his thought had been confirmed.

"I'll call the crime scene guys," Rollins offered, pulling her cell phone out and doing so. A few moments later, the officers were canvassing the neighborhood while the other unit did their job. _Hopefully someone will have noticed something_, Fin thought to himself. However, he didn't think that it was very likely, and his hunch was confirmed as they continually struck out. _Damn it_, he thought to himself after someone shut the door in their faces for the umpteenth time. Rollins blew out a breath.

"Well, this sucks," she griped.

"Don't I know it," Lindsay agreed. She had been hoping that they would finally get a bead on these guys. And yet, it hadn't worked out for them. And that scared her. What about Matt? If they couldn't figure out what was going on, what would happen to him? Would he be placed in danger? She couldn't let that happen. Okay, she needed to focus here. Fin blew out a breath and dialed Olivia's number.

"Benson," he heard a few moments later.

"Liv, it's Fin. I'm afraid we're at a dead end," he announced.

"The kid didn't give you anything?" Benson queried.

"He **couldn't**. Someone got to him before we did," Fin responded.

"Was there a chance that someone overheard you planning to meet the kid?" the female sergeant queried.

"Honestly, I don't know." Fin answered. "Liv, if you're suggesting what I think you are-"

"Just trying to keep all of our bases covered."

"Yeah, I know. It's just that I think Lindsay and Rollins have come up with the same theory." Sergeant Benson blew out a breath. Great. Just what they needed: a dead kid and a possible leak. Dodds was going to love **this**. He already thought that this precinct was a problem house and this would just add fuel to the fire. _Okay, Liv. Don't freak out. Just have the others find out what you can as soon as possible_, she told herself.

"Let me know what you find," she said out loud.

"You got it, Sarge," Fin responded and then hung up. "Let's start beating feet, see who can come up with what," he commented and the two women nodded and they all headed in different directions, asking people on the street what-if anything-they had seen. Unfortunately, the people they talked to didn't have any information for them.

"Great. Nothing," Erin sighed in exasperation.

"Don't people even care about him? I mean, he's just a kid," Amanda wondered.

"It's the streets, Amanda. They usually just stick to their own business," Fin answered.

"Unless of course, it's someone they trust asking the questions," Erin added. And as far as she could tell, none of these people trusted them.

"She's right, and-" the older man's voice died as he noticed an African-American woman walking up to them. "Sister Peg. Haven't seen you in a while," he commented.

"I've been keeping busy," Sister Peg answered.

"And safe too, I hope," Fin responded.

"Yes, and safe," she confirmed. "One of my girls said that you were asking about-" her voice trailed off when she saw the boy. "Oh, my-"

"Who is he?" Erin asked.

"His name is Kevin Mitchell. Fairly new to the streets," Sister Peg answered.

"Anyone have a beef with him? Was this a turf thing?" Amanda questioned.

"No, Kevin was-people on the streets looked after him. I can't imagine anyone doing this to him.

"Was he turning drinks? A john maybe?' Erin queried. At this, Sister Peg frowned in concentration.

"Yeah, he was turning tricks, but as far as I know, there weren't any problems. I mean-he never said anything to me," she finally answered. "But then again, he's only been on the streets for a few months, so-"

"He didn't know that he could trust you."

"Exactly. Plus, there have been some whispers on the street about a cop that can't be trusted and it has everyone-especially newer kids-on edge." As Fin and Sister Peg talked, Erin and Amanda looked at them. _Wow. It sounds like they've known each other for a long time_, Erin thought to herself. And Sister Peg reminded her of a lady that she had back in Chicago. Not that she had been all that nice to her. No, she had been too wrapped up in her own crap to give a damn about anyone. Amanda's eyes flickered as they talked. She had never seen this woman before, and to be honest, she wasn't quite sure what to think of her. In her opinion, it was a little strange that she had just shown up like this, but Fin seemed to know her pretty well, so she'd keep her mouth shut. Maybe this Sister Peg knew something more than what she had already told them. Hopefully.

"Thanks, Sister Peg. You take care and stay safe. And if anyone needs anything-" Fin began.

"I'll try to get them to call you," Sister Peg finished.

"Thank you for your help," Rollins said as the sound of a car coming up.

"Everything all right? This isn't your usual response time," Fin noted as two men walked up to them.

"We're a little backed up today," one answered as they knelt by the body.

"You already do a canvass?"

"Yeah, no witnesses and no one knows anything." Back in Chicago, the Intelligence Unit was in their office.

"Okay, let's run through this again. There has to be something we're missing," Alvin Olinsky stated.

"Peter Grossman-victim in a house fire-had a box full of kiddie porn," Antonio stated.

"Wasn't one of the pictures traced to someone in New York?" Adam queried.

"Yes. And from there, it was discovered that there were videos and a whole ring," Olinsky answered and there was a collective groan of disgust.

"How can anyone do that to a kid? I mean, why the hell would you be turned on by someone who could be your young brother or sister?" Adam wondered. It was just crazy.

"I've arrested a lot of sick bastards like this. Don't drive yourself crazy trying to figure out the why of it," Antonio advised.

"Dawson's right. Some people are sick and you'll only drive yourself crazy trying to figure out what makes them tick. Don't do that to yourself," Olinsky agreed. The kid was still pretty new to the unit and he hadn't seen all of the Chicago's dark side. And hopefully, he wouldn't. At least, not all that often anyways. He didn't want him to get jaded anytime soon. Ruzek had a freshness and an eagerness that Olinsky didn't want him to lose.

"But if these people are so dangerous, why don't the victims come forward? I mean, we're cops, we're the good guys," Kevin commented.

"I talked to some of my C.I.s earlier, and the scuttlebutt on the street is that there's some cop that they're all afraid of," Antonio answered. "Other than Voight, i mean," he added.

"All right. We need to find that cop and get him off of the streets," Alvin stated. "I want everyone on that. We're gonna send this guy a message that we don't condone cops who abuse the people's trust," he ordered.

"What about you?" Kevin asked.

"Hank asked me to keep an eye on someone for him while he's gone so I'm gonna go do that now," Alvin answered and then headed out. Once he was out of earshot of the precinct, he dialed a number. "Yeah, this is Alvin Olinsky. Could you get me a twenty on Matt Casey from firehouse Fifty-One?" While this was going on, Matt had gone to a bar where he had sat down and had ordered a drink. However, he hadn't even touched it. Instead, he had just ended up staring into the drink.

"Never figured you for a Bourbon guy." At the sound of the voice, Matt stiffened and turned to see the same man from the accident site earlier.

"What do you want, Captain?" he questioned, gripping the glass in his hands. _Don't provoke him. Just let him say his piece_, he reminded himself. He didn't like the guy and although him being here didn't bode well, he knew that setting him off was a bad idea. It was just better to let him do whatever he wanted.

"Just here for a drink myself," the man answered, catching the bartender's eye. "I'll have what he's having." The bartender nodded and prepared the drink and the handed it to the other man. "I understand that a mutual friend's been having some problems."

"Not on my end." The officer gave a brief smile.

"Good. That's good." As the other man leaned into him, the firefighter sat stock-still, trying to will himself not to flinch when he felt the man's breath on his ear. "You remember how this works," he said. Matt averted his gaze and started to leave his seat, only to have the man grab his wrist, forcing him closer, so that the firefighter's ear was once more close to his mouth. "It's not like anyone would believe the word of a street whore anyway," he murmured. At this, the firefighter froze again, causing the other man to chuckle. "Oh, you can dress yourself up anyway you like Matty-Boy, but it doesn't change who you are inside. Just a damn street whore junkie waiting for his next fix. Wonder what your battalion chief and your coworkers would think if they ever found out what you did." As he talked, the Captain's fingers had begun subtly tracing Matt's wrist. Feeling the slight tremor from the firefighter, the other man smirked. "I'll see you later, Lieutenant," he said loudly, placing some money down. "His drinks are on me." he told the bartender and then walked out. For a moment, Matt just sat where he was. _I can't believe this. I've kept my mouth shut! Why does Cordone think he has to do this?_ he wondered. He wasn't stupid enough to say anything. Like he was going to risk him finding out? He hadn't said a thing to Hank in all the years he had known him and he wasn't about to start now. Sure Cordone was in jail and had been for years now, but he **still** had a long reach as well friends on the outside. Matt gave himself a mental shake and drank the Bourbon in one gulp. Enough of this. He didn't want to remember. He just wanted to forget. Besides, it wasn't like anyone would believe him. Like the Captain had said, no one would ever believe him. Not with his past. He signaled for another drink. The drink would help him to forget. And when it came to forgetting what had happened, the firefighter could use all the help that he could get. After downing that drink, he asked for another and got it. As he continued to drink, Matt's eyes clouded and stared into space, not noticing when the bartender picked up the phone and dialed a number, speaking softly into the phone before hanging up. Within moments, the door at the entrance of the establishment, and Alvin walked in, sitting next to him.

"What's shakin', kid?" he asked.

"What are you doing here?" the younger man queried, shooting a glare at the bartender.

"Looking out for you. Hank asked me to keep an eye on you when he went to New York. He's worried," the older man stated. _I've never seen him like this_, he thought to himself. Granted, he didn't know the firefighter as well as Hank did, but from what he knew of the boy, he wasn't one to give in to drink like this.

"He doesn't have to be. This has nothing to do with me," he insisted.

"That's not what Hank said," Olinsky stated and the younger man's eyes flashed.

"Just leave it alone!" Matt yelled, standing up. "I have nothing to do with this!" With that, he fumbled with his wallet, took out some money, and slapped it down on the counter before walking out. Olinsky frowned in concern as he dialed a number.

"Voight," he heard a few moments later.

"Something's not right here. Casey totally stone-walled me. I mean, granted, we're not as close as you two are, but-"

"I'll be back there as soon as I can. I just got out of a briefing with Manhattan SVU. Lindsay went with Rollins and Tutuloa to talk to a kid who had some info on the case only to come across the body of the kid they were supposed to meet."

"Anyone besides them know about the meeting?"

"Nope. There wasn't any time to tell anyone else."

"That would mean-"

"There's a cop involved."

"Maybe more than one. We hit a dead end here too, except that word on the street is that there's a cop that's scaring everyone into silence."

"Damn. I'll be on the next available flight. See what I can do."

"Good idea." The two hung up and Hank's eyes clouded in concern. This had gone on long enough. He was going to find out everything that was going on regarding Matty no matter what. It was the only way to make sure that the kid stayed safe. And he **would** stay safe. He'd make sure of it…


End file.
